Hot Zone
by AngelxXxWingz
Summary: Kagome is a 23 and works for her uncle's sports agency “the Hot Zone, Athletes Only”, some crazy things have been happening at the office and things are way out of control. What’s Inuyasha have to do with what’s going on? M for later chapters...Mainly ab
1. prologue

_**HOT ITEM**_

The "Better Summary": When Kagome and her sisters Sango and Ayame were younger, their parents died in a very bad accident. They moved in with their fathers' brother Yank Morgan, who took them in. Ever since the accident, Kagome always has to have control over everything, for her own peace of mind and her own security… so I guess you could call her anal. Now as a grown woman she is still the same, but works for her uncles sports agency, things get very chaotic and in comes Inuyasha…(by the way…Kagome, Sango and Micki are triplets: Oldest-Sango, Middle- Kagome, Micki-youngest... but they look nothnig alike) lets just get to the story )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha…although I really wish I did...

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Prologue

Yank Higurashi leaned in his favorite chair and puffed on a Monte Cristo Cigar. Damn, life was good. At least, as good as it could be with his three nieces sick in bed with colds and way to quite for his peace of mind. He'd been caring for the girls ever since their parents died in a terrible plane crash almost a year and a few months ago and he'd done his best to keep things normal for them and for himself. Hence his weekly poker night with the guys.

"Hey Higurashi. You folding or what?" Jimmy asked.

"Depends on your hand." He replied and grinned.

Jimmy glanced at his cards and rubbed his hand over his bald head, a pretty sure sign that the mans hand sucked. "What the hell. I'm in."

"Me, too." Spencer Atkins, Yanks long time friend and business rival, tossed his bet onto the pile of chips in the center of the table and pulled a long drag of his cigar. "Better not inhale," a small female voice warned. Yank frowned and turned to the door way. His middle niece, Kagome, stood in her flannel nightgown and glared, arms folded across her chest. "Your suppose to be resting," Yank said. She shrugged. "My nose is stuffed. I want Lola," she said, speaking of his assistant and one-time lover, not that any of the girls knew that last part. Lola was the only female influence the girls had.

Yank didn't discourage their relationship. But the woman complicated his life to no end and reminded him of their once-hot affair. He had his hands full with three little women. He didn't need a fourth female making demands on his time and forcing him to give up the important things. Things like cigars and poker.

"Can I call her, Uncle Yank? Please?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, can she call her?" Spencer asked, laughing. "As if you'd say no. It's no hardship having that beautiful woman around 24/7, is it, Higurashi?"

Yank scowled. "Take some aspirin instead," he told his niece.

"Aspirin's no good for children. There's a new study out that shows it can cause something called Reye's syndrome. Lola would know that," Kagome said in an accusing tone.

He groaned. "You wanna call her, call her. Just make sure she knows I'm tied up with the boys." Kagome rolled her eyes. "She knows. Everyone knows Tuesday night's poker night." Kagome ran over and kissed his cheek. "Thank Uncle Yank. I promise not to bother you again."

He hugged the little girl tight. "You never bother me." She clasped her hands behind her back. "You mean that?" she asked in a serious voice, one to old for an eleven year old.

Losing parents did that to kids, Yank had learned. Sango, the oldest, had taken over the mother role and making sure everyone behaved. Ayame, the youngest, tagged along with him everywhere he went, never giving him time or space to breathe, obviously afraid if she did, he'd run away and never return. And Kagome lost herself in books as if she could escape into another world. But she also used the knowledge she leaned to try and control everyone and everything around her.

Yank figured she thought that if she orchestrated life, she wouldn't lose the people around her like she lost her parents_. When had he turned into a damn_ _shrink?_ He wondered. "Go," he said softly. "The sooner her call Lola, the sooner you'll get some sleep." She nodded. "Okay." She ran out of the room and he heard her chattering on the phone from the kitchen.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Let's get back to business."

Spencer listed his glass and took a sip of the whisky Yank kept in the bar. "Son of a bitch. I'm out." With a scowl, he folded his hands. "I'll just have a smoke and watch Yank take the rest of you suckers for all your worth." A few hands later, Spencer reached for his cigar, then narrowed his eyes when he came up empty handed. "Winning's not enough for you, Higurashi? You have to stoop to stealing stogies for fun?" Yank tossed his cards onto the table. "I take offence to the implication. I'm winnin' fair and square. And I didn't take your damn cigar. Maybe you're getting old and you forgot whether or not you lit one."

Jimmy rose to his feet. "Come on, boys. We don't need to fight amongst ourselves. Spence here can have my cigar. If my wife smells it on me she'll douse me in kerosene and light a match." He glanced down. "Hey, wait a second…" Yank winced. "Yours is gone too?" He asked, a sneaking suspicion dawning on him. The other man nodded. "Mel?" Yank asked the fourth man.

"Mines gone, too" Yank groaned. "Kagome Alexandra Higurashi!" He bellowed. "Get in here now!"

"You don't have to yell uncle Yank. I'm right here." Kagome's voice sounded from underneath the table. _The little sneak…how'd she get under there with out us noticing? _He wondered. She tried to stand up too soon and bumped her head. "Ouch!" She held her head for a bit but finally stood in front of him, guilt written all over her little face. Her cheeks were pink and her brown eyes too wide and innocent. "Give the boys back their cigars," Yank demanded. Her eyes filled with tears. "But…"

"Don't tell me you didn't take them. What else would you be doing sneaking around under there?" She shook her head. "I wasn't going to say that."

"What were you going to say?" Spencer asked in a surprisingly kind voice considering he'd nearly sprung Yank alive for stealing his cigar. Faced with the midget culprit, his tone gentles as it always did around the middle kid. Kagome clasped her hands behind her long flannel nightgown. "The surgeon general says smoking's bad for you health. It'll turn you lungs black and clog your arties."

"Arteries, Doofus," Sango said, walking in from the doorway. "Sorry uncle Yank. I fell asleep and forgot to watch her. It won't happen again." She grabbed her sisters hand and pulled, trying to drag her from the room. "Stop," Kagome whined. "I'm right and they all know it!"

"It doesn't matter. They're guys and guys smoke," the third little musketeer chimed in, surprising them all by walking in from the kitchen. In her hand, Micki held the ashtray with all the men's cigars. "Hey, it took me a long time to collect those without them noticing," Kagome said. "But they weren't yours to take." Sango walked around the room, handing each man a used cigar.

In all likelihood nobody got the right smoke and Yank cringed. "I think its time to call it a night."

"If Lola had come, none of this would've happened," Sango said. "She'd have kept Kagome busy in the kitchen."

"If Lola had come, she'd be sprayin' Lysol all around our heads," Yank muttered.

"Hey! That's not nice, uncle Yank." Micki smacked him on the shoulder with her little hand. "See?" he said to his friends. "This is why I won't ever get married! I already got three little women telling me what to do."

Jimmy shook his head. "It's more like with three little girls, you can't find a woman in he right mind that would have you."

"Except Lola… but Yanks not bright enough to know a good thing when he see's it," Spencer said with a laugh. "This is from someone who already got one divorce under his belt." Kagome pulled the sleeve of Spencer's sweater, "Really? You were married? To who? When? How?" she said with big eyes.

"None of your business little girl." He softened his words by patter her head.

"Like that'll satisfy her. Kagome needs to know all details about all things."

"What'd she look like? Why'd she leave? Or did you leave?" she kept asking her questions. Yank chuckled. At least she'd stopped harassing them about the cigars. Though given Kagome's inquisitive nature and need to control everything and everyone around her he should probably lock up the Cubans.

Heaven help the man who had to deal with her when she grew up.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter one: Secrets out… and Where's Spencer?

12 years later

According to a reliable source, top sports agent Spencer Atkins - of the recently merged firm Athletes Only and its subsidiary PR firm The Hot Zone, is gay." Kagome Higurashi groaned when she saw the line in New York City's most read gossip column.

How would the players Spencer represented react to the news? How would Spencer handle being outed? But most importantly, how in the world has this secret come out now, well over a month after she and her family had learned the news for the first time? In the time since they'd learned the truth, Spencer's revelation had been put aside in favor of more pressing projects: the merger of Uncle Yank and Spencer's sports agencies and the all-important spin that "we're better and stronger than ever." Enough time had passed that even Kagome, who normally covered all the bases, had dismissed the possibility of the story being leaked.

"Guess I thought wrong," she muttered. Kagome hated being wrong. It meant she'd miscalculated and the feeling sent her spiraling into an anxious frenzy, the only solution being to regain her precious control.

Problem was, she didn't see any way to find her center. Kagome, who shone behind the scenes, couldn't hide behind books or To DO lists now. She couldn't even push her sisters to the forefront of the storm and handle things in the background. Chaos reigned and she was the only one available to handle the media mess sure to follow.

Sango was home on maternity leave with her baby girl, Sydney, and Micki was on her honeymoon with Damian Fuller, her retired center fielder husband. Their receptionist had called in sick, the temp agency still hadn't sent anybody to cover and the phones were ringing off the hook.

She glanced at the flashing switchboard behind the reception desk and imagined the many messages accumulating on voice mail, the reporters asking for confirmation of the story and the players they represented caught off guard by the news. She didn't want to believe they'd turn against Spencer because of his sexual orientation. Her family felt no differently about Spencer upon hearing the news. But knowing human nature, athletes in particular, Kagome expected a different transition period anyway.

Anxiety and upheaval were things Kagome understood all too well. In the past few months, her life had been drastically changed by her sisters' marriages, followed by uncle Yank and Lola's reunion. Lola had even taken over dealing with Uncle Yank's Macular Degeneration and postsurgical care for his broken hip.

Without someone else's issues to focus on, Kagome had been left at loose ends. Add to that the merger of Atkins and Associates and The Hot Zone, and life as she knew it had been blown to bits. Normal was nowhere to be found.

So yes, she could relate to the players being upset by the new status quo. They, like Kagome, would just need to adapt to the notion of change. As if willing it could make it so. She shook her head. If adapting were simple, Kagome wouldn't be feeling so lost and out of control right now.

She glanced at her watch and realized it was already ten in the morning. Where in the world was the man of the day? Spencer always arrived at the office punctually at nine. It was one of the things she could count on in her suddenly crazy world.

His prompt nature and conservative ways were a part of what Kagome liked about him. She could relate to his methodical means of coping with life, which were much like her own. From the time she'd moved in with her uncle Yank, she and Spencer had had a father-daughter type of connection. He'd always given her the attention and respect that often got lost within her own family, thanks to her being in the middle of Sango, her vibrant older sister, and Micki, the younger sibling who seemed fir right into uncle Yank's athletic life.

"Ms. Higurashi?"

Kagome glanced up to see a woman standing before her. She had to be in her early twenties, and by her tentative expression, definitely not wizened in the ways of business.

"Yes, I'm Kagome. Please tell me you're from the helping hands temp agency?"

The brunette nodded. "My first day actually. I'm Nicki Fielding."

"It's Nice to meet you." Kagome swallowed over her disappointment in being right since she could really use an experienced receptionist. "As long as you can answer phones, say 'no comment' until The Hot Zone is ready to issue a statement and take messages, you'll do just fine."

"No computer work?" the girl asked.

"Not today, you won't have time." Kagome lightly prodded her toward the front desk where the telephone still rang; the lines lighting up like fireflies, and prayed Raine would get over the flu soon.

"Okay, the main desk is covered," she said aloud.

"Now I can move on to the next order of business."

Spencer. Just where the hell was he?

She dialed his home number, but his answering machine picked up immediately. She tried his cell phone next but it went right to his voice mail. She pursed her lips. It wasn't like him not to check in if he was going to be late. Had the media leak sent him temporarily underground or something?

She worried about how he'd handle the public and the press and keep his sanity all at once? After all, he'd kept this secret for a life time. He'd always been vague about his prior marriage. She remembered asking him about it when she was a little girl. She'd never gotten a straight reply and now Kagome understood why. He must be in a panic now.

Kagome knew she had to find him and soon. In addition to being someone she looked up to and respected, he was a close friend of the family and had been for years, even before the merger. He had never let business rivalry affect his friendship with Uncle Yank and he had been there for Lola when she'd thought things were over with Yank for good. It was time the family returned the favor even if she was the only one around to do it.

She looked forward to the challenge and not just because helping Spencer spin his life story to the press would give Kagome something to think about besides being alone and uncertain of what turn her life would take next. Although she had to admit the diversion had merit.

No, Spencer Atkins was a good man with a good heart. He'd weather this "coming out" with Kagome's help, while she'd do her best to represent the absent Hot Zone family member. He deserved nothing less.

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Spencer Atkins Deserved a swift kick in the ass, Inuyasha Takahashi thought and tossed the newspaper across the den in disgust. What had started as a mention in a gossip column had escalated to the front page of all major New York newspapers.

Big-time sports agent Spencer Atkins was gay.

Who knew? Not his only son, that's for sure. Inuyasha shook his head. What a sham his life had been. He'd always known who his biological father was even though he'd been adopted by Senator Harlan Takahashi of Brandon, Mississippi. A right-wing conservative with aspirations of living in the white house. A mans who's constituents wouldn't be happy to know that the senators wife had once been married to a gay sports agent – and that Senator Takahashi had raised the man's son.

Inuyasha groaned and ran a hand through his hair.

Spencer Atkins and his mother had parted ways while his mother was pregnant. She'd met Harlan Takahashi while she was going through her divorce and from what Inuyasha understood, it'd been caring at first sight for Anne, love at first sight for Harlan. He'd married her knowing she was pregnant with another mans child and raised him as his own. Harlan could be controlling and doctorial with his staff and on occasion with his family, but no one could fault him for his goals, his drive… or his heart. Over the years, his mother had grown to love her husband deeply.

Inuyasha's mother, Anne, had always suggested he tuck the knowledge of Spencer's parentage away and do nothing with it, but Inuyasha had been curious. Even more so when he's realized what his real dad did for a living. A natural athlete from day one, Inuyasha desperately craved the man's approval and acknowledgement and he's tried hard to get it.

As a kid, Inuyasha thought once Spencer saw his son's talent in his chosen field, Spencer would reach out to him. Yet despite being a junior-high and high-school quarterback, despite countless trophies, awards, write-ups in the local papers, nothing about Inuyasha had ever captured Spencer Atkins attention. He never answered Inuyasha's letters or returned his calls.

Still, he'd had his biological father in mind while he played QB for Boston collage and won the Heisman. With no reply to his request that Spencer represent him, Inuyasha had been the first round draft pick, with Yank Higurashi as his agent. Still nothing from his old man. He'd taken that silence as the final slap.

One Inuyasha had accepted that the man would never publicly acknowledge him as his son, he'd told himself he didn't care. It the man didn't want anything from Inuyasha; Inuyasha didn't need a damn thing from him. He no longer worried about what other people thought of him and he carried the same attitude over into his life, doing things his way.

Inuyasha had started his career Cincinnati and hoped to end it where he played now, with the New York Giants. He was a good enough player to get away with coloring outside the line, something his coaches and his agent accepted and understood because as much as he looked out for number one, he looked out for his team as well.

Looking back at the path he'd chosen and the reasons behind it, Inuyasha realized it was a damn good thing he loved his profession. Otherwise he'd have wasted his life pursuing a football career just so he could get the attention of a man who wanted nothing to do with him.

As today's headlines proved, Inuyasha didn't know a damn thing about who Spencer Atkins was or what he wanted. He only knew what Atkins wanted the world to see. So in addition to "absent disinterested parent," Atkins could now add "Fake" to his impressive résumé.

"Way to go, pop," Inuyasha muttered under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Julia, a beautiful redhead who'd spent the night in his bed, strode in from the bedroom.

Coming up beside him, she wrapped her arms around her neck and pressed a kiss against his cheek.

"What's going on? Why didn't you come back to bed? She eased her body onto his lap.

"Nothing important." He turned to kiss her full on the lips, running his hands over her breast. His body responded immediately, assuring him he was nothing like the old man.

The old man he only knew about from stories his mother had told him when he was a kid. They'd broken up because they were incompatible; she'd said they'd wanted different things out of life. Those once vague words began to make more sense now. Had his mother known about Spencer the whole time? Had she found out during their marriage? Or was she discovering the truth now over her morning coffee, along with the rest of the world?

Suddenly, Julia rose to her feet. "Your mind's somewhere else," she chided softly.

"Yeah." He glanced down, unable to deny the obvious.

"Well I really need to get back to the hotel anyway. My plane leaves at noon."

Julia was a flight attendant who traveled the world and sometimes called Inuyasha when she was in New York. Sometimes not. The arrangement worked well since Inuyasha had an irregular schedule, thanks to his joint-custody arrangement with his ex-wife.

His thirteen-year-old daughter, Elisabeth, came first on his list of priorities. Yet another way he was nothing like the old man who hadn't raised him.

He followed Julia back into the bedroom.

She strode over to the bed, unaffectedly naked and began picking up her clothes. "Did I tell you Jacques asked me to marry him?" she casually tossed the news his way.

He raised an eyebrow, not surprised the words didn't elicit a reaction one way or another. He enjoyed Julia but he wasn't in love with her.

"Then how come I don't see a ring?" he asked lightly.

She lightly shrugged. "I told him I'd think about it." She pulled her shirt over her head, the spandex molding to her near perfect curves. "I'm getting tired of the traveling, the hotel rooms. It's lonely. I could give up my career and not look back," she admitted.

Inuyasha nodded. "I hear you. There comes a time everyone has to make choices." He paused and met her gaze. "I take it this is…goodbye then?"

She nodded. "I couldn't say yes without telling you. And besides I thought we deserved one last time together." She treated him to a smile.

'_An easy parting,'_ he thought thankfully. He'd been blessed that way. Even his short marriage to Kikyo had ended amicably, mainly because as the mother of his child, he'd denied her nothing and even increased her monthly payments as his career had soared. Just a case of marrying too young and expecting too little.

Similar to his parents, or so he'd always thought. Once again he caught himself wondering about Spencer Atkins. Had Spencer's marriage been a ruse? An attempt to live a so-called normal life? Had Inuyasha been conceived out of love as he'd been told by his mother or as the unfortunate result of a lie on the part of his father?

So many questions. He wished he didn't give a damn, but Inuyasha could no longer deny the curiosity. And if he wanted to know more, so would the reporters who'd gotten wind of this story. They'd dig and dig deep. They'd find the marriage certificate that bore the names of Spencer Atkins and his mother and they'd discover that she'd had a child.

In no time the scandal would reach his stepfather, who was running for the United State Senate aspirations of living in the white house would go down the drain. Inuyasha wouldn't let that happen.

Of course he'd be a liar if he didn't admit some self-interest in the matter, too. If the press found out about the relationship between Inuyasha and Atkins, Inuyasha's life in the locker room would be a living hell. The guys would question his masculinity and not even his marriage and kid could save him. Like father like son, they'd say. Inuyasha could hold his own with his teammates and he knew the scandal would blow over with time, but his teenage daughter didn't need the hassle from the fallout.

Inuyasha shook his head at the irony. A lifetime of wishing the man would acknowledge him and now it was the last thing he wanted.

His best option was to reach Spencer before the media did and convince him not to talk. This shouldn't be a stretch for a man who'd made silence an art form. Frustration filled Inuyasha over the need to turn to Spencer Atkins for anything, but he reminded himself that it wasn't his own needs driving him. He'd be making the effort for his parents and daughter.

The time had come for father and son to meet face-to-face at last.

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Three days had passed and Spencer was officially MIA. Kagome paced her office, wearing a path in the plush carpeting, which she discovered was twenty-five steps from the window overlooking the east river to the bathroom in the far corner. Back and forth, back and forth, but no matter how far she walked, the reality never changed. The football draft was three weeks away and Spencer Atkins had taken off for parts unknown.

John Cashman, this year's Heisman winner and almost nearly signed client, was calling hourly to speak with Spencer or Yank. Yank's cruise made him unavailable and the younger agents weren't appeasing Cashman with their answers.

Kagome's palms sweated over the athlete's last threat. If he didn't speak to Spencer by the end of the week, he'd sign with the Cambias Agency, their number one competition.

Uncle Yank and Spencer inspired loyalty and cared about their clients' future, while Cambias only saw dollar signs in his bank account. But a young, healthy, starry-eyed kid who'd never been injured wouldn't appreciate the experience Spencer and Uncle Yank brought to the table. And at the moment, Cashman wasn't listening to anything she or the other agents had to say.

The dog she was babysitting stared from the place she calmed her own. Noodle, Uncle Yank's Labradoodle, carelessly lounged on the client-designated chair. When not rolling over onto her back for a belly rub, she licked herself in unmentionable places. Kagome didn't mind watching the dog, but animals really weren't her thing.

'_Which was why I steer clear of any personal relationships with professional athletes_', she thought, giving herself her first real laugh of the day. A laugh she desperately needed. With the recent marriages, honeymoons and pregnancy, Kagome was in charge alone here at the office and she's never felt so alone. It was a state she'd judiciously avoided feeling since her parents' deaths. She's also avoided feeling as lost and scared as she had when she'd lost her mother and father by maintaining firm control over life.

Some called her anal. She figured she was smart. And being smart, she couldn't let chaos seep into the agency, despite all that was going on.

Yesterday she'd received a handwritten note from Spencer, Post marked from New York. "Laying low. Back in time for draft." As if that would pacify John Cashman.

She walked over to the chalkboard she kept with everyone's schedules marked on it. All active clients on the sports side were divided among the agency representatives. She'd doled out the PR to the new people she and her sisters had hired in the past few months, opting to leave the handling of Spencer's situation for herself.

So far she'd avoided the media because she wasn't ready to give a statement without talking to the man in question, which was one less thing to deal with, at least for now.

But the draft players represented by Yank and Spencer were antsy.

She'd picked up the phone and buzzed Spencer's Personal secretary, a woman named Frannie who'd worked for him for years. Frannie ran Spencer's life.

"Frannie, this is Kagome. Can you bring me a list of all the places Spencer has vacationed in the past few years along with the phone numbers of any relatives he regularly speaks to?"

"Not a problem, but I don't think he'd contact those people or go to any place that the press could easily find him."

"Kagome sighed. "I know you're right but I have to do something. Other wise I'll lose my mind. How's it going with Cashman?"

"I told him Spencer was due to call, but we just didn't know when, and as soon as we heard from him, he'd hear from us. And I made him promise not to do something stupid in the meantime."

Kagome tried to breathe steadily so she didn't get light-headed and pass out, something she was known to do on occasion. "I don't trust him or Cambias but it's the best we've got for now. Thanks, Frannie."

"Hang in there, honey. I'll get those names to you as soon as I can." Frannie disconnected.

No sooner had Kagome hung up the phone when someone knocked on her door. Obviously her secretary wasn't sitting at her desk to intercept him. Lori did her work but enjoyed her coffee breaks more.

"Come in," Kagome called out, hoping this was good news for a change.

She turned to greet her visitor and knew immediately she was in deep trouble. He had a black leather jacket slung over his wide shoulders, razor stubble on his handsome face and a reputation that preceded him. Although Kagome and the Hot Zone had never handled Inuyasha Takahashi's publicity, he'd been a client of her uncles too long for her not to know him.

He made his presence known each time he came to the office. He oozed raw male sexuality. And her body responded to it, despite her brains warnings to ignore the man. Normally her body listened to whatever Kagome's analytical mind dictated but not when it came to Inuyasha Takahashi.

As partners in The Hot Zone, Kagome and her siblings shared equal responsibility, but a sisters they had an understanding. Micki handled the difficult athletes and Sango the jocks, which was how they'd ended up paired with Damian Fuller and Miroku Hoshi, respectively. Kagome took care of the more refined aspects of the business. She booked photo shoots, galas and large charity events. Things that she could control.

Kagome didn't do jocks. Not in any sense of the word. So the fact that she drooled at the sight of her uncle's football client really ticked her off. She hated that this cocky jock could affect her on a purely elemental level when the other men who came and went from these offices didn't even make her blink. Inuyasha Takahashi blew her precious control to hell and back.

She desired him badly and he knew it. He also knew the attraction flustered her and he took shameless advantage, going out of his way to seek her out and push her buttons. And just when she thought the sexual tension between them couldn't soar much higher, he'd stop by her office for a visit and up the ante between them. That'd he show up here now, mid-crisis, was a move she hadn't anticipated and sure as hell didn't appreciate.

Drawing a deep breath, she leaned against the desk and resisted the urge to check her hair and makeup. "Let me guess. You charmed your way past my secretary?" she asked him.

"If she'd been there I'm sure I would have." He strode forward, full of cocky male attitude. "Nobody was outside to stop me."

She just signed. This day was just getting better and better.

He stepped beside her, standing so close his warm scent penetrated her pores and she grew damp in places he never failed to remind her existed. She no longer tried to convince herself that her reaction was normal for a wonman who'd been sexually deprived for well over a year. Her sudden increase on temperature and spike in arousal had everything to do with Inuyasha Takahashi.

"So what can I do for you?" she asked him.

He grinned. "Depends on what you're offering, sweet thing."

Each time he spoke, he confirmed her notion that he was the embodiment of every jock nightmare she'd ever had. Raunchy, sexist, impossible to control. It didn't matter. The mans mere existence turned her into a drooling idiot.

She looked him up and down, trying to appear as if he didn't faze her one bit. "Turn down the wattage on that smile, big boy. Im busy and I don't have time to indulge in your flirting today." She glanced at her watch and taped on the dial. "Well? What can I do for you?"

His smile withered. "I need to see Atkins."

"Yanks your agent," she reminded him as if he was dense.

"This is personal not professional."

His words took her by surprise. As far as Kagome knew, Inuyasha had no dealings with Spencer Atkins or his former agency. Come to think of it, he hadn't been to the office since the merger. "I didn't realize you knew one another."

"and I didn't realize I had to answer to you before I could see my…before I can see Spencer." He clenched his jaw tight, obviously withholding information.

Kagome was in no mood to push him for answers or bait him today. She had enough on her plate. Look, it's been a long day." It was as much of an apology as she was willing to offer him.

He glanced at his watch and chuckled, his light golden eyes dancing with flecks of amber. "Its only ten in the morning."

"Exactly," she said wryly.

He met her gaze and the connection she couldn't deny sparked to life between the. She wished it was purely sexual, but something about the man before her captured her so completely, she offend wondered what more existed beneath the jock exterior. Something had to for her to be so drawn to him. She just wasn't the type to be hooked by something as insubstantial and superficial as sex appeal.

"So what's got you riled up so early, if not my dazzling presence?" he asked.

"Lets just say that you could see Spencer if I knew where he was." The admission was a huge one. She was _trusting_ Inuyasha's discretion.

He lowered himself onto the corner of her desk and nodded slowly. "I guess if I were Atkins, I'd be laying low, too."

"I take it you've seen the articles." Not only had the papers picked up on the gossip column entry an turned It into front page headlines, but they'd noted Spencer's sudden disappearance from his usual lunch and dinner haunts.

Inuyasha nodded.

"But that doesn't mean he ran away. She said defensively. "How about you leave your number and I call you once I reach him?"

He tipped his head to one side. "No can do."

"Well you can't just stick around here waiting who knows how long just to have a personal word with-"

"_My Father_"

"What?"

Inuyasha winced as his admission, then ran a hand through his long silver hair and took a deep breath. "What guarantee do I have that you'll keep that information confidential?"

"My word." She tried not to show how much affronted she was by Inuyasha's lack of faith considering she'd just divulged sensitive business information herself.

"I'd prefer something more tangible." Inuyasha reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wallet, thumbed through some bills and then lifted a folded check from inside.

Without warning, he looked up and met her stare and she discovered he was just as hot when he wasn't deliberately turning on the charm. His gaze simmered with heat that had nothing to do with sex, but suddenly Kagome couldn't think of anything else. Those big hands wrapped around the check had her imagining all sorts of other things he could do with them- to her.

He grabbed a pen and began to fill out the empty spaces on the check, all business.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm hiring you." His head was still bent over as he wrote.

"His silver-colored hair was shaggy, long and as sexy as the man himself.

"That way I can divulge all my personal secrets and you're bound to keep things confidential."

She wasn't sure she wanted to hear them and her mouth grew dry. "I'm not a lawyer"

"No, but you're a publicist and if I hire you and tell you things about my life and career, you won't go spilling the information to the press without my permission. True?" he cocked an eyebrow in certainty.

She nodded. "True."

"Then consider yourself hired."

Kagome accepted the check with trembling hands. She'd just entered into a business agreement that was bound to give her a deeper insight into Inuyasha Takahashi. And that shift in their dynamic could very well increase her desire for the man. As if her life wasn't complicated enough, Inuyasha had joined her for the ride.

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Thats it for nowz...

PLZ Review, and maybe give me idea's for the next chappie lol


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: i do not own inuyasha...grumbles

THANK YOU ALLLLL MY REVEIWERS... i even used one of their ideas

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Chapter two: On a Search for Spencer…and Inuyasha's tagging along

At Kagome's obvious attempt to feign composure and pretend his hiring her didn't send her into a tailspin, Inuyasha bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing aloud.

She folded the check in half. "You could have just trusted me instead of insisting we enter some ridiculous employment contract." Her tone held a trace of hurt over his lack of faith.

Maybe she had a point. Hiring her probably made little sense, but he hadn't been able to think of another way to guarantee his secret remained private.

"I don't know you well enough to trust you, but we could remedy that," he said in a deliberately suggestive tone, his words meant to explain as well as to tease.

Whenever he stopped by The Hot Zone offices, he could never resist coming to see the brown-eyed brunette. He enjoyed their sparring and liked trying to figure her out. Kagome Higurashi presented an intriguing mess of contradictions, her inherent control and conservative façade so at odds with the simmering heat he saw in her eyes.

He inhaled deeply. As usual her luscious scent evoked images of hot bodies in tangled sheets.

"So now that I represent you, what comes next?" she asked warily.

He understood her discomfort. He and Kagome shared an unusual relationship that consisted mostly of a sexual dynamic neither understood.

For Inuyasha, Kagome was the antithesis of every woman he was normally drawn to. Inuyasha liked his women _real_. He enjoyed tousled hair he could mess up with his hands and he preferred to see a woman's cleavage, now guess what her breasts looked like beneath a prim silk blouse. His agent's niece might be a knockout in the classical sense, but with her hair pulled into a tight knot and her prissy suit, she wasn't his type. Yet she never failed to brighten his day.

He couldn't say he did the same for her. Kagome had a distinct inability to deal with the sexual tension between them. Two minutes in his presence and she'd lose her composure, changing from Grace Kelly cool to downright flustered. A pink flush tinged her cheeks whenever he was near.

Today, however, she seemed more tense than usual and something suddenly urged him to be sensitive to what was going on in the head of hers and respect the boundaries she'd raised. Another anomaly, Inuyasha thought. He always respected women but when it came to Kagome, he wondered what she was thinking.

Feeling.

Desiring.

He inhaled deeply. Unbidden, he was treated to visions of eating strawberries and champagne directly off her porcelain skin. His groin tightened with a hard-on he hadn't felt the liked of in years. _Not a good way to respect her_ _feelings_, Inuyasha thought.

She'd picked up the pen he'd discarded and began to tap it against the desk. "Okay, if you aren't going to explain, I have a few things to say first. And now that you've hired me, I have the right to speak my mind."

"Lack of a professional relationship has never stopped you before," he reminded her with a wink.

Her cheeks burned brighter. "But now I have the satisfaction of knowing your paying me to tell you the way things are going to be." A Cheshire-cat grin tilted her lips as she enjoyed what she perceived as the upper hand.

She'd soon learn he rarely gave up control. Going things his way was the only means of assuring himself that nobody would hurt him the same way his real father had.

"So what's going on in there?" He lightly tapped her head.

She swallowed hard. "I've known Spencer practically my whole life and he's never mentioned having a son. Never mind one who's the top quarterback in the NFL."

He folded his arms across his chest. He hated this subject, never mind that he'd opened this Pandora's Box. "So?"

"So considering the news currently circulating, forgive me if I question your story, as well as your motive for wanting to see Spencer."

He wasn't surprised she had the guts to stand up to him. After all, she wasn't one of the top publicists in a male-dominated market.

He raised an eyebrow. "The man was just outed. Do you really think I'd pick this particular time to announce my relationship to Atkins unless it wasn't true?"

She paused, then slowly nodded, acknowledging his point.

Although she accepted his argument, he couldn't ignore how she'd leaped to Spencer's defense. "So what are you? Atkins protector?"

She squared her shoulders. "Don't underestimate me because Im a woman, Takahashi. We're like family around here. What affects one of us affects all of us.

How nice that Atkins has 'Family' here when he'd so deliberately ignored his own. Her words shouldn't have hurt but they did. They sliced like a knife inside Inuyasha's chest. Unfortunately they didn't diminish the need for him to talk to the old man.

Since the Atkins and Hot Zone merger, Inuyasha had done all his agency business over the phone. He hadn't wanted to risk running into his father. Now that was exactly what he wished to do.

He needed to reach Atkins and ensure the old man's silence, as he'd promised his mother when she'd called in a panic earlier. Which meant he also needed Kagome and whatever connections she had.

He had no choice but to spill his guts. "Whether or not he's ever acknowledged the fact, I am Spencer Atkins' son. Actually, I'm just another one of his dirty little secrets, but this secret affects more than just him. I need to talk to him as soon as possible."

Kagome's expression softened. "I would tell him if I could. Unfortunately, Spencer had been out of touch for three days. And while we're sharing secrets, I should add if we don't get in touch with him soon, the agency will lose the first round pick in the football draft." She expelled a frustrated breath. "So can you help me?"

Apparently she needed him, too, putting them on more equal ground. The notion eased the vise squeezing his chest. "I haven't been in contact with Spencer in the last few days, either." He deliberately left out his lack of relationship with the older man up until now. "But I can make some calls and see if anyone in my family has any ideas about where h might go." Starting with his mother. It may have been years since they've spoken but maybe she remembered some relatives or someplace he liked to hide out.

"Feel free." Kagome gestured to the phone on her desk.

He strode over and sat down. A howl sounded loud and a shrill in his ears at the same time he jumped off something warm and soft. He glanced down. A white curly-haired dog glared at him from Kagome's desk chair.

Kagome laughed, a light carefree sound, so opposite from her normally uptight voice… he was astounded. It made him want to see her loosen up in every way.

"Something funny?" he asked

She shook her head. "I just didn't realize Noodle had switched seats."

"Better to sit on a dog, than on dog-"

She cleared her throat, cutting him off.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to offend your delicate sensibilities." This time _he_ chuckled. "How do I get an outside line? Need to dial nine?"

She shook her head. "Just pick up the phone and press any free line."

Resigned, Inuyasha dialed his mother and had mixed feelings when she wasn't home to take his call. On the one hand he was grateful he wouldn't have to upset her by discussing Spencer again, and on the other hand he was aggravated he'd have to spend more time on this search.

"Hi, Frannie. Come on in." Kagome's voice interrupted his thoughts as an older woman with gray hair walked into the room, a piece of paper in hand.

"Spencer has two sisters and a niece who live in Florida," the other woman said.

Kagome nodded. She knew he had family in Fort Lauderdale.

"He's always calling them and sometimes he goes there to visit. Number's on the paper here." Frannie waved the yellow sheath in her hand. "He also owns a time-share in Aruba but its rented now, so I can't see him going there. Then again if we knew whether or not he took his passport…"

"Kagome shook her head. "No way of knowing that.

"Let's start with his family." She glanced at Inuyasha through half-lowered lashes.

"Oh my! I didn't realize you had company. I should have knocked."

"That's okay. This is an emergency. Besides, Mr. Takahashi is a client of uncle Yank's." She paused. "He's also a client of mine and we can trust him."

Frannie smiled. "Okay then. I'll be at my desk if you need me, though I have to warn you about something."

Kagome raised an eyebrow.

"Spencer's sisters are eccentric, to quote his words."

"What ever that means, but I'll keep it in mind. Thanks."

"They're also not answering their phone and there's no machine to record a message. Oh, and John Cashman called…Again."

"This can't be happening." With a groan, Kagome flung herself into the nearest chair, more flustered than he's ever seen before. "Maybe Spencer's sisters are on vacation, but that doesn't mean Spencer couldn't be there anyway and not taking calls."

Frannie shook her head. "They don't travel. Like I said, eccentric. But you're right. That doesn't rule out the possibility that Spencer went to his sisters'

until the head here in New York dies down."

_So he ran off,_ Inuyasha thought. He didn't blame the man for wanting to avoid the scandal, but he hated to think his father was a coward.

"Frannie, do you have an address for his sisters?" Kagome asked.

She nodded. "On the paper." She handed Kagome the Page. "Just buzz me if you need me."

"Will do and thanks again," Kagome said, gratitude evident in her voice.

Once the other woman had let herself out and shit the door, Kagome glanced at the paper before turning to Inuyasha. Her eyes seemed wider, a mixture of concern and hope in their brown depths.

"If Spencer's sisters don't answer the phone, it looks like I'm headed for Fort Lauderdale. I need to talk to Spencer in person and figure out a game plan."

_Her intentions are too vague, _Inuyasha thought. He glanced at the ceiling, avoiding her gaze while he took time to think. If he let her go to Florida alone and she didn't find Spencer, no harm done. If she did find the old man, Inuyasha needed to know whether she would convince Atkins to spill his guts to the media in a sympathy play. It so, he might reveal more than the truth about his sexual orientation, and that might include Inuyasha's parentage.

"Once you find Spencer, all you want is for him to get in touch with his clients?" Inuyasha asked.

"In part. I want to save the potential clients and calm his current ones."

Apparently the frenzy surrounded this Story went deep. They didn't have time for a long conversation on how other athletes were handling the news, but Inuyasha was curious. Personally, he had no problem with anyone' sexual orientation. He just wished it wasn't _his_ biological father who's come out. During his stepfather's election year, no less.

Kagome had begun pacing the floor of her office. He glanced at her face and realized she was counting her steps. "Why the hell are you doing that?"

"Twenty-four, twenty-five." She stopped at a closed door. "Routine gives me comfort," she explained.

_Anal and compulsive_, he thought, and didn't have to wonder how she would'd handle his fly-by-the-seat-of-his's-pants approach to life. Not well.

"Will you let me know how you make out in the Sunshine State?" he asked.

She nodded. "Not a problem." She rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "I can't wait to do some damage control. I need him to issue a statement in response to all this media coverage. In my experience it's always better to have a client's version of event's version sent out to the media first, forcing other people to respond. In this case we can't do that, but If he replies with the truth before the reporters start digging and speculating, his reputation will come out stronger in the end."

"Whoa." She hadn't mentioned a press release earlier.

Ignoring him, she strode over to the desk and began punching in the numbers on the page Frannie had given her. She waited, phone hugged tight against her ear as the phone rang and rang on the other end.

She hung up the receiver and shot him a frustrated glance. "I need to book a flight for tomorrow morning. At least I'll feel I'm doing something."

Inuyasha closed his eyes tight, his choices narrowing. If Kagome convinced Spencer to issue an honest statement and he revealed his connections to Inuyasha, all hell could break loose in the conservative red state of Mississippi. After all, she'd said it was better to trump the media before they dug up the dirt and Spencer might choose to do just that.

He had to be close by her side when she found his old man.

Once again she picked up the phone, this time hitting the intercom button. "Fannie, book me a flight to Fort Lauderdale for first thing tomorrow morning."

He rubbed his hands over his burning eyes before focusing on Kagome. She looked as upset as he felt at the moment.

He could only imagine how she would take his next announcement. "Make that two seats," he said loud enough for the woman on the other end of the speaker phone to hear.

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By lunch time, Kagome still hadn't reached Spencer's sisters by phone. She desperately needed air. It wasn't enough that Spencer was missing and her world was collapsing in chaos, but she had Inuyasha Takahashi joining her in the search. She didn't know how she'd focus on finding Spencer with the biggest distraction of all hanging around. The sexiest distraction.

She headed for the nearest Café around the corner from the office where Ayame James, a friend and publicist at The Hot Zone, was suppose to meet her. It was a blessedly warm day, for March in New York City and she was glad they'd chosen someplace with outdoor tables where they could enjoy the fresh air. Kagome ordered a Coke while she waited and then breathed in deeply, allowing herself the illusion that all was well in her world.

"Hello, Kagome," a masculine voice said with a hint of Spanish accent.

One that would be sexy if not for the man who possessed the self-assured tone. She eyes the handsome Dominican man, with his designer suit and too-welcoming smile, warily.

"Hello, Koga," she said to her uncle and Spencer's number-one adversary. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?" the Cambias agency was in the Bronx, close to where the former President Bill Clinton had taken his new offices shortly after leaving the White House.

"May I?" he gestured to the empty seat.

To say no would be rude. "Of course."

He joined her, sitting directly across the small table, where his gaze lingered on hers. When she's met him at industry events, he'd always be polite and solicitous. Even so, he made her uncomfortable. Koga Cambias always had an agenda, which made trust something she refused to give.

"I visited your Offices to show support for my colleague," he said, obviously referring to Spencer. "The gossip about him in the paper is unfortunate."

Kagome raised an eyebrow, wondering if he'd come to show support or to revel in his opponent's misfortune. "I didn't think you read Liz Smith," she said of the well known New York gossip columnist.

"My secretary does, as so most people who want to keep up with the pulse of this town. Besides, the story is headline news. Surely you already know that."

She did. She'd just been hoping he'd slip up with more information, like whether his clients were calling about the news. Or worse, whether Spencer's clients were inquiring about other representation. Not wanting to let on that she was concerned, she couldn't ask.

"Since my secretary told you where to find me, you must also know that Spencer's taken the day off. I'll be sure to relay your concern next time I see him."

Koga placed his hand over hers. "This can't be easy for you or your uncle. I know how close you all are.

Kagome slid her hand from beneath his and waved it dismissively through the air. "It's not a problem for us or for Athletes Only. I can assure you of that."

He glanced over her shoulder. "I think your lunch date is here."

He rose from his seat at the same time Kagome looked up to see Ayame standing behind her, silently waiting for an opportunity to interrupt. Kagome shot her friend a grateful look. Her timing couldn't have been better. She had no desire to continue talking to Koga and try to decipher his intent.

"Ayame, I'd like you to meet Koga Cambias. Koga, this is Ayame James. She's a publicist at The Hot Zone," Kagome said.

"I'm surprised we haven't met before." His eyes sparkled with definite interest.

"I recently moved here from L.A." A blush spread over Ayame's freckled cheeks.

Even to a casual observer, it was obvious the interest between these two was mutual.

"It's wonderful to meet a coworker of Kagome's." Ever the gentleman, he pulled out the chair. "Especially such a beautiful one."

Ayame took her seat but not before Koga's gaze raked over Ayame's model like curves and curly red hair, which hung down the middle of her back.

From the glimmer in his bright blue eyes, it appeared that Koga liked what he saw. "May I offer a word of advice?" He shifted his attention to Kagome; his eyes gleaming with hidden knowledge hat make Kagome nervous.

"Can I stop you?" she asked easily.

He laughed. "There are people who don't take other's sexual orientation lightly. You should have Spencer talk to his important clients before someone else does."

His tone was friendly. His words though… were not. Kagome understood the hidden implication. Spencer's nervous clients were up for grabs. She had to find the man and soon.

"I appreciate the advice." She forced a smile.

"If I can do anything, please let me know. In case you misplaced my number-"he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a business card, handing it to Kagome. "And if you didn't, if your beautiful friend is interested in meeting for drinks, she can take the card instead."

He winked at Ayame before leaving and Kagome's friend nearly swooned. Kagome had seen Koga have this effect on women at many charity events. The Spanish accent and his Antonio Banderas looks were enough to lure any unsuspecting female into his clutches. Which Kagome supposed might not be a bad thing for a woman who wasn't his professional competition.

As soon as Koga was out of earshot, Ayame leaned forward. "So? Is he one of the good guys?" Blatant curiosity shimmered on her friends face.

Kagome sighed. Koga wasn't someone Kagome would touch with a ten-foot pole, but she had an inherent bias against the man. For all she knew, outside business the man could be a saint.

"I honestly don't know. But I do think he had an ulterior motive for coming here today." She just wished she knew what it was.

"I'll be careful."

Kagome slid the card toward Ayame, who snatched it up and placed it in her purse.

"What do you say we double-date? That way you can try to figure out what he wants," Ayame suggested.

Kagome shook her head. "When it comes to Koga Cambias, you're on your own. Just don't divulge any secrets," Kagome said, laughing.

She wasn't worried. Ayame's ethics were solid and she wasn't privy to anything on the sports-agency side of the business. Besides, Kagome had other problems to deal with. "I'm going to need you to hold down the fort for a while."

"Where are you going to be?" Ayame asked.

"Florida" With Inuyasha Takahashi

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Inuyasha threw some clothes together in a duffel bag. He grabbed the shaving kit he always kept packed, since he traveled often during the season, and tossed it in as well. Then he picked up his phone.

He wasn't looking forward to informing his daughter he'd have to cancel their day tomorrow, but since she was in school he'd have to let his ex-wife know. Kikyo would relay the message to Elizabeth and the change in plans and Inuyasha would call her from Florida.

Lizzie, as he called her since she was a baby, lived with her mother and step-father in Scarsdale, a ritzy suburb outside of New York City. Inuyasha had chosen an apartment in Manhattan, so he could be nearby.

Kikyo, Naraku (Kikyo and Naraku are NOT bad in this story) and Inuyasha had managed to co-parent fairly well, at least until the teenage years had kicked in. Now they disagreed on how to handle Lizzie, How to give her things, without spoiling her and how to discipline her over her declining school grades.

Add attention deficit to the mix and they really had their hands full, Inuyasha thought.

He didn't really think she would mind him canceling since he saw her a couple times a week and weekends when she wasn't busy with her friends. She was probably sick of him by now, he thought with a smirk. And would be glad he'd had a change of plans.

Scratch that. Even if she was relieved that she didn't have to hang out with her father, she'd act as if she'd been slighted and wronged just so she could pick a fight and piss him off. His sweet baby had woken up one morning and morphed into the very thing a parent dreaded most: a hormonal teenage girl.

He dialed and a familiar voice answered on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Hi, Kikyo."

"Hi, Inuyasha," she said. "How's the man of leisure?" He didn't take offence. She'd never recognized that he worked out as hard on the off season, if not harder, never taking good health or good shape for granted. "I'm fine but I have to take an unexpected business trip."

Kikyo didn't know Spencer Atkins was his father and if he hadn't revealed the secret during their brief marriage, he sure as hell wasn't about to spill his guts now. "Can you tell Lizzie I'm sorry and I'll make it up to her?"

"You can tell her yourself since she'd home with the stomach virus. We would've called you today and canceled anyway. She's going to need to rest tomorrow too. Hang on. Elizabeth!" she screamed, probably over the blare of music from his daughter's bedroom. "You father's on the phone."

"Hello?" a miserable-sounding Lizzie said after picking up another receiver.

"Hi, Lizzie baby, how are you doing?"

She groaned. "I've been barfing my guts up all morning," she said in a whine.

"Aww, jeez. I'm sorry. But I' sure you'll be back to your old self in no time."

"Yeah."

"Well, at least I don't feel as bad telling you I have to be out of town this weekend."

"But…but…" a huge pause followed. "You said we could have PF Chang's. You promised!"

He couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. "Honey, if you could have Chinese food anytime soon, I'd make a point to stay home. Don't pick a fight just to have an argument. I'll take you out for dinner as soon as I get back. I promise. I'll even bring you back a surprise."

She remained silent, a deliberate, guilt inducing silence.

I'll call you and see you're feeling, okay?"

Not expecting a reply, he added, "Be good and remember when you start to eat, do it in small doses and do it smart."

More silence followed. '_The kid had made guilt into an art form,_' Inuyasha thought. "Feel better baby girl."

"I'm not a baby," she muttered.

Maybe not but she'd gotten a reply out of her, which was his goal. He chuckled and heard the click in his ear, indicating she'd hung up.

"You spoil her," Kikyo said just as he'd been about to hang up too.

"I didn't realize you'd stayed on the line."

"Let's just say I was curious how you'd handle her."

A quick glance at the clock told him he had to get moving or risk missing his flight, but he couldn't let this pass. "I don't need you eavesdropping on me," he said through gritted teeth.

"if you upset her, she's just going to take it out on Naraku and me," she said.

Naraku had been Lizzie's stepfather for the last seven years. For someone who wasn't interested in sports, he was a nice enough guy. Unfortunately he also had a kid from a prior marriage and he was much stricter than Inuyasha. He didn't approve of the gifts and extra's Inuyasha bought his daughter, which probably explained Kikyo's listening in. But it didn't excuse it.

"I've got to run, but do me a favor? Have some faith in me or soon we'll be at each others throats."

Kikyo cleared her throat. "I'm sorry I listened in. But-"

"I've got to go."

"Just one more quick thing. Do NOT bring her home any expensive gifts from this trip," Kikyo said.

He rolled his eyes. "Bye." He chose to ignore her warning. Lizzie was his daughter and he'd buy hr anything he damn well pleased.

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Plzzzzzzzz Review! thanx again to all those who reviewed in the last two chapters and i love you all

Next chapter will be up as soooooon as i finish it...plz feel free to send more idea's


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- ok ok ok… I don't own Inuyasha…although I really wish I did (grumpy face)

ohhh and thank you to the lovely ppl who reviewed

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Chapter 3: Onward to Florida

Kagome's head pounded as she exited to cab at the airport. The pain in her temple had nothing to do with Spencer, but had everything to do with her traveling companion.

She had enough on her mind without having to deal with the constant distraction Inuyasha would provide and she'd called him in a last-minute attempt to discourage him from joining herm but the man insisted on being there the minute she found his father. Assuming she even tracked Spencer down. Kagome had her doubts.

She'd tossed and turned all night, sleepless over the thoughts of being so close to Inuyasha on the flight and on their trip. '_I'm too attracted to him for it to be healthy,_' she thought.

'_Athletes,_' she thought with frustration. She'd avoided dating them for years, leaving the bold, brash kind of guy for Sango, who'd always known how to handle them. Inuyasha Takahashi had a string of women following him everywhere he went and unlike Sango; Kagome wouldn't know how to compete.

As the middle sibling, she created her own sense of order and followed a path she herself dictated. She could attract a man's attention and hold it, but she'd only do that for the right sort of man. A man she could understand and control. Accountants, executives, people who understood schedules and did the expected. Inuyasha was the lone bullet in Russian roulette. She never knew when to expect him to hit or what would happen when he did.

She glanced at her watch once more. Just because she didn't see him now didn't mean he wasn't here. They'd agreed to meet at the gate. Kagome passed through security quickly and easily. She had the routine down pat. She wore slip in shoes; no belt or heavy jewelry that might beep when she passed thought the metal detectors and slow her trips. Before she even neared the scannersshe methodically pulled out her laptop and cell phone, and then slipped off her jacket as well.

She settled into a chair by the gate and hour prior to takeoff just as the airlines always instructed. By the time they called for first-class pre-boarding, Inuyasha still hadn't, Inuyasha still hadn't arrived. Kagome's stomach cramped.

Frustration and annoyed by his lack of consideration, she gathered her things and settled into her seat on the plane. Telling herself she didn't care that he'd stood her up, she pulled out her travel sized pillow and placed it behind her head, settling in for the two-and-a-half-hour flight.

Seconds before the cabin doors closed, Inuyasha made his entrance. Oblivious to how late hr was, he store over onto to the plane. As if on cue, a female flight attendant ushered him to his seat as if he was a visiting dignitary. The rest of the women attendants then fawned over the handsome football star, asking for his autograph and fluffing his pillow and covering his legs with a blanket. Even the pilots took time out of the cockpit to meet him.

Inuyasha Takahashi didn't have to worry about following the rules other people lived by, and with each favor bestowed upon him, Kagome would bet he lost more of the manners and sense of courtesy others deserved. All he had to do was charm everyone around him and all was forgiven.

She couldn't forget that easily. All this scene did was reinforce what Kagome already knew: a man like Inuyasha flirted as easily as a candy man gave treats to children. All the times he'd sought Kagome out at the office, it had been to feed his ego, not because he had some kind of interest in her. And she admitted to herself now, that had been the little hope she'd held on to deep in her heart. That the great Inuyasha Takahashi had some secret crush on her the same way she had on him.

Fat chance. His flirting with the flight attendants showed her that all the times he'd come on to her, it'd been an act. Just Inuyasha Takahashi, football star, looking for more attention. Well, he wouldn't receive any more special treatment from her, she decided, and after takeoff, Kagome buried herself in a book and outwardly ignored her traveling companion.

Inwardly, she was completely aware of him. Once again, it didn't matter that her emotions were bruised or that her mind warned her to steer clear. Every feminine instinct she possessed was on high alert. Inuyasha's body was big and snug in the next seat and his arm constantly brushed against hers, disturbing her peace. More than once she glanced over to see if he'd noticed the sparks and heat she felt so strongly, not a flicker of emotion showed in his expression. There was not a hint of a reaction to touching her,

Damn the man.

And she damned herself for wanting anything from him at all. She shut her book and closed her eyes but the simmering awareness remained, made more potent by his alluring cologne. She sighed and shifted in her seat, trying to get more comfortable.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" a female voice asked.

The flight attendant's question was a welcome distraction. "Red wine, please," she said

"Another Scotch thanks." Inuyasha winked at the woman who flushed pink.

"Be right back," she promised, placing a hand on his shoulder and letting it linger before striding down the aisle.

"Oh brother," Kagome muttered, unable to control her reaction.

He glanced over. "What are the chances that this drink'll take some of the starch out of your shorts?" he asked, his southern accent coming through.

"Excuse me?"

He turned toward her, his arm leaning against hers, his amazing Amber eyes studying her through thick lashes. "You've been sitting there like a PrimaDonna from the minute I got on this flight. You haven't said two words to me, not even a hello, and your pretty little nose is so high in the air I'm surprised you don't have altitude sickness. Drop the attitude and we might have some fun on this trip."

She opened her mouth then closed it again. She ought to be offended by his words, but she knew he has a point. She'd been a bitch from the get-go and not just because she was uptight and Spencer being gone.

She hated to admit it but she was hurt by the realization that she was nothing special to Inuyasha Takahashi. And the sad fact was, if he _did_ corner and turn that potent sex appeal her way, she'd be a goner for sure.

She looked at his freshly shaven face and imagined how her hand would feel caressing his skin. "Do you really think my nose is cute?" She heard herself ask and almost cringed.

He chuckled, flashing one dimple in his cheek. "Cuter than your personality at the moment. Elizabeth with PMS is more pleasant than you've been, and trust me, that's saying a lot."

She swallowed. "Who's Elizabeth?"

He paused a beat. Then another. Finally he said, "My thirteen-year-old daughter."

Kagome breathed out a sigh, promising herself it wasn't one of relief that he'd been referring to a daughter and not a girlfriend. She racked her brain in an attempt to remember what, if anything, she knew about Inuyasha's past and surprisingly she came up blank.

'_Like father like son_,' she thought. She didn't know much about Spencer's life either.

Inuyasha was her uncle's client and her sexual nemesis and verbal sparring partner, but he was an enigma. An athlete she'd always opted to stay way from, mostly because he shattered the illusion of control she held onto. The illusion that allowed her to function without worrying about either the people she loved leaving her or the important things in her life falling apart.

"Here you go." The flight attendant returned. She placed their drinks on their tables, pausing by Inuyasha's aisle seat. "Can I get you anything else?" the woman offered Kagome a glance and when it came to Inuyasha, she wasn't talking about food or drinks.

"No thanks, but I'll be sure and ring your bell if I think of anything," Inuyasha said in that sexy voice of his.

The flight attendant smiled and headed to the row behind them.

Kagome tried to relax and took a long sip of her red wine, savoring the flavor when suddenly the flight turned bumpy, the plane jostling in the air.

Inuyasha laughed. "Isn't that the way? As soon as they serve drinks, the turbulence starts." He lifted his cup and took a large sip to lower the amount so that it wouldn't slosh over the top.

Kagome did the same with her wine, more for fortification than need. Inuyasha wore a short-sleeve t-shirt that showcased his muscular forearms and tanned skin. '_He's obviously been on vacation recently_,' she thought as she admired him all the way down to his gold Rolex watch and long tanned ringless fingers.

His dark lashes fringed his eyes, which looked more golden then amber today. But he was the same man who easily tossed out sexual innuendo and caused her hormones to go wild. She just couldn't reconcile this sexy, carefree man with one who had responsibilities as a parent.

Parents were warm and loving, soft and caring. At least those were the fuzzy memories Kagome had of her mother and father before the plane crash took them away from her for good.

"So how'd you become a father?" she asked, steering her mind away from the ever-painful topic.

"The way most people do." He shot her an amused look. "You do know about the birds and the bees?" he nudged her elbow with his.

A heated flush burned her cheeks. "I meant I didn't know your were a father."

"Whew. I'd hate to think I needed to teach you the facts of life: he said, still grinning. "Though I suppose that could be fun."

This conversation was definitely getting out of hand. Her hands trembled as she placed her wine on the tray, still holding on to the cup because of turbulence.

She bent over searching for her MP3 player and headphones just as the plane bounced once more. She grabbed for her cup and missed, knocking over the lightweight plastic, causing the red liquid to spill. The wine traveled across the tray, onto her lap and splattered on her white shirt.

"Damn!" she tried to bolt the mess with paper napkins, bit it wasn't working. She needed the bathroom to clean up.

As if anticipating her next move, Inuyasha stood so she could exit the row and head back to the restrooms. He tried really hard not to laugh at her.

So far, this wasn't a flight she wanted to remember and she just hoped it wasn't an omen for their quest to find Spencer. Holding on to seat tops to steady herself; she walked quickly to the lavatories. Thank God one of them was vacant and she let herself inside.

"Wait."

At the sound of Inuyasha's voice, she paused, giving him time to place his foot inside, preventing her from closing the door.

She looked at his sexy face and her heart rate picked up speed. "What do you think your doing?"

"Joining you." A hint of challenge in his voice. And a teasing smile curved his lips.

"No!" she summoned outrage when she was really intrigued.

"Come on, sugar. I want to help you." He leaned a broad arm against the small opening.

This wasn't the first time she'd heard a hint of a Southern accent and she wondered where he was raised, but inquisition and conversation could come later.

She licked her too-dry lips. "Thanks but I can handle cleaning up all by myself."

"So you clean and I watch. It'll give me a chance to talk to you in private."

She panicked, not from fear but from the over whelming desire to get up close and personal with this man who was everything she normally avoided.

Kagome dated men who were safe. Men who didn't flirt with every woman they met. Men who weren't demanding. Men who didn't put their feet into her personal space and insist they get their way. Yet, though it galled her to admit it, there was something inherently arousing about his dominance.

"There's no room in here." She gestured to the small space behind her in a last feeble attempt to do the right thing.

The safe, expected thing.

He pushed the door open farther with his knee and wedged his big body inside, forcing her to step back. Then she heard the click as the lock slid into place and the dim light went on overhead ensuring the sign outside the door read 'Occupied'.

They were completely alone and very, very close.

* * *

Inuyasha didn't know what had gotten into him. One minute he'd been ignoring Kagome and her pissy attitude and the next he was enjoying making her squirm. She couldn't handle the sexual banter without blushing a hot shade of red, which only made him want to push her buttons even more. 

She was cute when she was mad but when piqued by jealousy, like when she hadn't been sure who Elizabeth was, Kagome was down right sexy. He'd followed her into the small bathroom to… what?

"I'm not joining the mile-high club with you." She glared at him, but those wide brown eyes flashed with a definite interest, contradicting her words.

"And here I thought you were already a member," he said smirking.

No way had she ever had sex anywhere but a bedroom. He'd bet his Super Bowl ring on it. Suddenly the thought of initiating her to sex in different places and positions held great appeal. He had a damn hard-on to prove it.

Shit.

This wasn't the first time his impulsive behavior had gotten him into trouble. Like the time he'd been caught making out with the teaching assistant in the janitors room in collage. The difference was, the T.A had been older and willing.

Kagome, for all her N.Y.C chic, was definitely a lady in every sense of the term. It was part of what drew him to her, Inuyasha knew. The lure of someone different, someone special.

She deserved better than a quickie in the sky, no matter how much fun it would be. To distract himself, he reached over and pulled some paper towels from the holder, dampened them and began to bolt her shirt where the wine had stained.

He gritted his teeth, determined to ignore her full breasts and hard nipples. Perfectly rounded breasts and the more perfect nipples just made for a man to suckle and tease. He tried to focus instead on her flat belly, where the liquid had concentrated.

She grabbed his wrists, stopping him. "Seriously, Inuyasha. What are you doing in here?"

He groaned. Good question. One he was still trying to sort out himself. No way would he admit he'd just followed her on impulse. "Since we're going to be spending time together, I thought we could come to an understanding."

She shifted in an obvious attempt to get more comfortable in the cramped space, but her thighs came in direct contact with his and the flame burned hotter. Her sweet sugary scent, more refined and classy than most women's, sent his already heightened senses soaring.

Kagome drew in a startled breath, an admission that the awareness between them definitely wasn't one-sided. Yet she sighed in clear annoyance.

"Just what did I do to piss you off so badly?" he asked

"You were _late_!" she said the word as if he'd committed a cardinal sin.

She turned toward the mirror and he followed her stare so she was unable to look there without seeing his shocked expression. "That's it?" he asked. "I arrived a few minutes late and you're holding it against me?"

"It was rude! We agreed to meet before the flight. You left me wondering if you were even going to make it." Her voice quivered and she glanced the opposite way, this time toward the safety of the empty wall. "I told you routine give me comfort." She spoke the last words softly.

'_A quite admission of weakness_,' Inuyasha thought.

Aw, hell. He hadn't meant to alarm her. He'd forgotten how seriously Kagome took life. Even with the dim lighting in the restroom, he could see her cheeks had turned pink and she'd sucked her lower lip into her mouth, embarrassed at admitting her neuroses aloud.

"Hey," he said softly. "I said I'd be here."

"And I was supposed to take your word for it? The minutes ticked by and boarding had begun-"

"Were the cabin doors closed?"

She shook her head.

"Well then, there was still plenty of time for me to get here."

"I don't work that way. I don't think that way. I plan ahead. And right now I need to find Spencer before my whole place of work falls apart. I have Koga sniffing around and no sign of Spencer. He said he'd be in by nine on Monday and he wasn't. You said you'd meet me at the gate," she said, the implication clear.

He'd let her down. The thought didn't sit well with him. Not a normal reaction for a man who did his own thing on his own schedule and answered to no one.

Most people accepted his behavior.

Kagome wasn't most people.

She folded her arms across her chest, as if that would provide a barrier between him and her emotions. Between them.

As if.

He placed a hand beneath her chin and turned her face toward him. Her skin was softer than anything he'd touched before and his gut churned with the sudden desire to kiss her lips and see if that pink pout felt as seductive as it looked. If her mouth tasted like the sweet heaven he imagined.

He shook his head to redirect his thoughts. He and Kagome had a mutual goal. To find his father and smooth over the mess created by the media. Not to create another one at thirty thousand feet in the air.

To that end, they needed each other. "Look, I'm just not used to answering to anyone except Lizzie."

Kagome blinked, probably as startled by his semi-apology as he was

"That's what you call your daughter, Elizabeth?" She said

He nodded, the old familiar pride welling inside him. Lizzie was Inuyasha's whole world and he'd do right by her in ways his biological parent had never done by him. He'd be there for her and she'd know her daddy loved her.

"Lizzie's thirteen going on eighteen. She has attitude up the wazoo and some discipline problems at school, but she's smart and special and gorgeous. And I'm going to have to buy a shotgun to keep the hormonal idiots away," he said, awed as always by the young lady his daughter was becoming.

Kagome laughed a light, airy, more relaxed sound than he'd heard from her since boarding.

"I take it you have some firsthand experience with being one of those hormonal idiots?" she asked.

"You know what they say. Boys'll be boys."

She inclined her head. "So what do you suggest we do to make this arrangement work?" she asked, turning the conversation back to them.

He leaned against the counter, thinking about what would help them get along for the duration of the trip. "How about we begin by understanding each other a little more? I'll start. Atkins is my long-lost father and though I have my reasons for needing to talk to him, I doubt he'll be happy to see me." Inuyasha offered the difficult admission as a peace offering.

A flash of understanding flickered in her eyes along with the steely resolve he'd seen before. "I respect you privacy, but you hired me to help you. Besides, before I can bring you to Spencer, I'm going to need to know those reasons. We're like-"

"Family. I know." When that word, used along with Spencer Atkins, the word _family_ tasted sour in his mouth.

He paused, wondering how much more detail to reveal now and decided the lavatory wasn't the place for long-winded explanations. "I'll fill you in. Just not here."

She nodded. "Fair Enough. I suppose you're looking for an admission of my own? A quick pro quo toward understanding? Well, fine," she said before he could reply. "I'm a pro at handling other people's crises, but not when everything around me is falling apart. If Spencer doesn't turn up soon, my entire life's going to crash and burn." She blinked once, and then blinked again.

He thought she was fighting tears, but she covered it so well he couldn't be sure. He admired that strength.

All Inuyasha knew for sure was that for Kagome, routine provided comfort and Atkins disappearance had thrown her carefully structured life into disarray.

They had that in common, he thought. He'd been thrown for a loop, too. His sudden inexplicable desire to take care of her threw him. For the first time, other than Lizzie, it wasn't all about him, and those feelings for Kagome messed with his carefree philosophy on life, and it made him very, very nervous.

Still, he couldn't stop the words that came next. "I'll try harder not to screw up your schedule," he said, hoping he could handle answering to someone, even on a short term basis.

"Thanks," she offered a smile and something inside him lightened with the knowledge that that he'd eased her burden.

"And I'll try not to be such an uptight pain in the ass," she said, taking him by surprise.

He hadn't expected her to know herself so well or to admit as much to him. Drawn by need and a compulsion, Inuyasha reached out and pulled at the binding holding her bun in place. She gasped in surprise as strands of dark Brown hair fell around her face in waves, softening her features, making her appear infinitely more touchable.

More human.

More kissable.

She moistened her lips and he sucked in a sharp breath. Right now he was definitely one of those hormonal idiots they'd just discussed. He leaned in so they were almost cheek to cheek and he inhaled her fragrant scent.

Together they generated enough heat in the small space to steam the mirror, set off the smoke alarm and send the flight attendants barging in.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the Fasten Seat Belt sign. Please take your seats as soon as possible." The flight attendant's voice broke into his thoughts.

He saw her expression the moment she realized that she'd almost kissed Inuyasha Takahashi at thirty thousand feet. Her eyes opened wide and she jerked away. Her knees came in contact with the toilet bowl and she sat on the closed seat with a thud.

He chuckled and held out his hand to help her up. "Tell you what. I'll leave first and you can sneak out after me."

"You're a true gentleman, Takahashi." Her voice held more than a hint of sarcasm, but her eyes held a wealth of gratitude.

He decided not to remind her that people had probably already seen him follow her into the bathroom or had likely already come to their own conclusions about what the two of them were doing in here. She had enough on her mind and Inuyasha's presence on this trip probably wasn't helping her keep things in her life running smoothly.

But he couldn't change the strength of their attraction nor, he admitted, did he want to.

* * *

Ayame thought she knew what frazzled meant. Coming from a family that consisted of herself and her father and the employees from his California seaside restaurant, she'd grown up harried working practically from birth. She'd gone to UCLA and hadn't moved East until her father had passed away last year. It had been tragic. An employee had stolen money from the register after hours and set a fire to cover his tracks. Frank James, "Jimmy" to his friends, had tried to save his restaurant and prized possessions before the fire fighters arrived. He'd died of smoke inhalation inside the restaurant he adored. 

After she'd survived that loss, Ayame thought she could handle anything. But The Hot Zone office without the Jordan sisters, and Athletes only without Spencer and Yank, was the equivalent of utter chaos. She and several others had been forced to work on a Saturday just to begin to deal with all that was going on and going wrong.

"And why did I agree to watch this dog?"

She'd just returned from a long with Noodle. One made longer by the dog's desire to sniff, wander and _not_ do business when told. She stepped off the elevator feeling out of sorts and almost out of options.

"Ms. James?"

"Yes?" Ayame turned to the temp who'd been working for the past couple of days.

Even if Raine, their normal receptionist, returned from her serious bout of the flu, the offices could still use the manpower Nicki Fielding provided. Cindy had no doubt Kagome would agree.

"You have messages." Nicki held out a stack of pink papers.

Ayame pushed the notes into her suit jacket pocket.

"Ms. Higurashi called from Florida. I told her everything here was fine, which is true. Sort of. I mean the reporters are still hanging around," Nicki whispered, gesturing to the group who'd perched themselves on the sofa, hoping for an interview form anyone here.

"I just keep telling them 'No Comment,'" she said, looking at Ayame for approval.

"You're doing great." She smiled at the young girl.

"I'm trying." Her brown eyes were huge. "I don't think Ms. Higurashi thinks I'm that qualified."

Ayame shook her head. "It's just crisis time around here. We'll all be come through this fine. You're being a huge help, I promise."

The dog pulled on the leash and she groaned. "Go, you little pain in the ass." Ayame leaned down, released the catch and the dog bolted, likely for the safety of Yank's office, where Kagome said she could fine the pooch if she went missing.

"If you need me, I'll be in my office returning calls." Ayame patted the papers in her bulging pocket and walked past the reporters, head held high, looking straight ahead before they could begin to toss out questions.

Ayame shut her door behind her, leaned against it and sighed. She couldn't wait to hand this place back over to Kagome. When she opened her eyes, she stared in shock. The most beautiful red roses sat on her desk.

"What the…?" She bent close and sniffed the glorious petals, breathing in their floral scent. As she pulled out the card, she realized the vase wasn't a typical glass holder from a florist but etched Baccarat Crystal.

"_Red beauties for a redheaded beauty. Have dinner with me. Koga_" Ayame read the card and shivered.

She'd been living in New York for a little over six months and although she'd made friends, she hadn't dated anyone special. She hadn't met anyone who seriously interested her. Until she laid eyes on Koga Cambias. His cerulean blue eyes and naturally dark skin, so different from many of the surfers and actors she'd met in California, caused goose bumps to prickly up and down her arms.

But his business card had burned a hole in her pocket and she'd left it untouched in her desk drawer ever since. Loyalty was important to her. She'd learned it from her small band of "family" back home, a group related by love, not blood.

She worked for The Hot Zone. She enjoyed her job and she appreciated all three Higurashi sisters and the family like atmosphere they brought to the firm. For Ayame, this place was similar to her father's tiny restaurant and she didn't want to lose the inroads she'd made.

She slowly opened her desk drawer and stared at the business card tucked safely away. She also didn't want to make a mistake and spend forever wondering 'what if.' Fingering the business card, she turned it over and over in her hand. Kagome hadn't asked her not to see Koga. She'd just suggested Ayame be careful.

With those words in mind, Ayame picked up the phone. After all, what harm could come from one little dinner? She wondered.

* * *

Kaiiiii pplzzz, don't forget to review!

and plz feel free to sedn over some ideas of what you would like to happen in the next chappie.


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